Game 144 Wrap-Up: BAL 4 NYY 2

("Come at me, bro!" Courtesy of the AP)

It was a strange start to say the last to the tough 11-game stretch that's going to make or break the Yankees' slim playoff chances.  They ended up going 1-3 against Boston in a series that could have easily seen them go 3-1 or lose all 4 games.  They were battered and bruised in the bullpen and working with an even shorter crew of useful arms after Joe used Mo for 2 innings on Sunday, and with the ever-shaky CC Sabathia on the mound that wasn't a good backup plan against a dangerous Baltimore offense.  Joe stacked his best bats in the top 5 spots of the batting order in hopes of getting some early runs against Chris Tillman.  It didn't work, as Tillman was on top of his game and the Yanks lost their 4th in 5 games.

Game Notes:

- Lotta fireworks in the 1st inning.  Alex Rodriguez hit a solo HR in the first half, Nick Markakis hit a leadoff double to set up the tying run in the second half, and when the inning was over Joe and Buck Showalter got into a shouting match at home plate over sign stealing.  Gotta love that added Wild Card pressure.

- After the 1st inning it was much smoother sailing for CC.  He gave up a few loud outs through 3 more scoreless innings but also got a few big strikeouts.

- Those loud outs turned into hits and runs in the bottom of the 5th.  Another leadoff double by J.J. Hardy got things started, and a couple of 2-out hits on badly located fastballs made it 3-1 Baltimore.

- The heavier workload in the 5th seemed to take its toll on CC.  He gave up 2 hits before striking out the side in the 6th and gave up another run in the 7th after his own throwing error before escaping with a K of Adam Jones.  If the bullpen was deeper, he probably would have been done after 6.

- A-Rod's homer in the 1st was all the lineup could muster against Tillman.  He mixed his fastball and changeup beautifully and threw enough good curveballs to keep the Yankee hitters off balance.  He gave up only 2 more hits through the 7th.

- Lyle Overbay finally broke through with a solo shot in the top of the 8th to chase Tillman from the game, but Buck had the option of going to his bullpen aces and he did that to shut it down and save the win.

F*ck Yeahs:

- A-Rod: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 LOB.  Got the scoring started in the 1st and tried to get a rally started in the 9th.  He continues to produce at the plate and has been surprisingly good against right-handed pitching since coming off the DL.

Oh Nos:

- 3-5 Hitters: Combined 0-12, 3 K, 4 LOB.  Tough to get anything going offensively when the run-producing spots in the lineup have a night like this.  Alfonso Soriano looked especially overmatched against Tillman.

- Sabathia: 7.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 6 K.  Gave up 2 runs with 2 outs, that's not good.  Neither is 4 of the hits he allowed being doubles.  CC was better tonight, but he still wasn't good enough to win.  He needs to use this offseason to re-work his mechanics.  It's the only way he's going to survive without the velocity.

Next Up:

Time's running out.  The Yankees can't afford to lose this series.  They'll take a shot evening things up tonight when Ivan Nova and Miguel Gonzalez take the hill.